After a period of slump, it looks like AC Milan have regained form. Before they knew it, they had won three straight league games. In the league standings, Pioli's side have won 15 of their 21 games and drawn three, suffered three defeats and amassed 48 points, ranking second in the league, just one point away from the top of the table. Although the team still has one more game to go, but in the state of the team during this time, they still have enough hope to compete for the championship in the second half of the season. Moreover, as other teams have fallen behind, this season's Serie A championship trophy is likely to still "spend" Milan City.
From the perspective of the schedule, the next 4 games will largely determine the trend of AC Milan this season. In the next 2 matches, AC Milan's opponents are not strong, neither the nineteenth-ranked Genoa nor the sixteenth-ranked Spezia can pose a substantial threat to Pioli and his players. After that, however, AC Milan will face two strong opponents in a row: Juventus and Inter Milan. Juventus has seen a marked recovery in form over the past period of time, having remained unbeaten in seven consecutive games and winning five of them. Chiesa Jr.'s injury may be one of the few advantages AC Milan can look forward to. Not to mention Inter, Inzaghi Jr.'s side have won eight consecutive league games and are among the best in the five leagues. For AC Milan, if they can score 4 points in the next 2 games, the team's performance is satisfactory.
In terms of player performance, Theo Hernandez's performance is eye-catching, and he is also one of the biggest contributors to AC Milan's outstanding performance during this period. In the last three league games, Special Olympics have scored three goals, and for a defender player, such statistics are indeed eye-catching enough. This season, Theo has made 17 league appearances, contributing 4 goals and 5 assists, bringing 9 goals to the team in one place. Such performances are second only to Ibrahimovic, who scored 10 goals. Special Olympics averaged 7.04 points per game, ranking third on the team. What is more worth affirming is that Theo wearing the captain's armband clearly shows more responsibility on the court, his handling of the ball is more reasonable, and he pays more attention to driving his teammates to play. It looks like the 24-year-old France international is experiencing the best form of his career.
Special Olympics, who are in such excellent form, naturally attract the attention of many teams. Especially in the case of the extreme scarcity of excellent left-backs in European football, the value of Special Olympics has been further amplified. In the transfer market, his value has reached 50 million euros. It is reported that Paris Saint-Germain has identified Theo as a target for reinforcements, hoping to recruit him to his command. However, Special Olympics has a very good sense of belonging to the team, and he has no obvious intention of leaving the team. Judging from the current situation, the contract extension between Special Olympics and the team is close to completion. According to the Corriere della Sera, AC Milan offered Special Olympics a new 4-and-a-half-year contract, and the two sides are very close to reaching an agreement. With the signing of this new contract, Special Olympics' annual salary will rise from 1.5 million euros to 4.5 million euros. Such a salary package reflects the sincerity of AC Milan. Special Olympics, which is well-placed in the team's tactical system, is also expected to reach higher heights.
Unlike Special Olympics' desire to stay in the team, the attitude of another main player in the team, Casey, has been quite determined to leave the team. Objectively speaking, Casey's form this season has not been ideal, especially when the team is in trouble, he is completely unable to turn the tide. In 3 of his last 4 games in all competitions, Casey has had a rating of less than 6.5, two of which have even less than 6. For a core player, such a performance can only show that Casey has been "in the heart of Cao Ying". After the winter transfer window opened, Casey has already made contact with other teams. According to World Sport, real Madrid's negotiations with Casey have been going on for some time. Real Madrid have the ability to match Casey's annual salary requirement of 8 million euros. And with Casemiro nearly thirty years old, Casey is expected to gradually become the team's first choice in the back position.
In addition, in the back line, the strengthening of AC Milan has also been put on the agenda. Maldini has made it clear that the team will sign a centre-back in the winter transfer window. However, several of the team's goals, whether it is Christensen or Botman, are quite difficult to bring in. According to Sky Sports, AC Milan are looking to sign Manchester United centre-back Bailey. This season, the 27-year-old centre-back has only made six appearances in the league and Champions League. It is reported that AC Milan hopes to complete this transfer on loan. (The picture comes from the Internet, if there is infringement, please contact to delete)